Aged 30 or under and eager to demonstrate your creativity? Designed to challenge younger creatives from every corner of the communications industry, the Cannes Young Lions competitions are the perfect opportunity for you to showcase your talent on a global stage.

What are the Young Lions Competitions?

Coming off the back of the local Young Lions Competitions organised by our Cannes Lions Festival Representatives, the Young Lions Competitions are your opportunity to shine at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

You’ll need to have won at your local competition to be eligible for the Young Lions Competitions. Find out more from your local representative. South Africa’s local representative is Lynne Wylie from Ster Kinekor. Contact Lynne at ly****@st*********.com.

We’ve got seven competitions in total – each focused on a different theme, but all following the same structure.

Upon your arrival at the Festival, you’ll be given a brief by an NGO, charity or company dedicated to a good cause. You’ll then have just 24 hours to create a campaign, which you’ll have to present to our Young Lions Competition Jury – top level creatives from leading global agencies and companies, selected from among the Cannes Lions Shortlisting Jury.

What’s the difference between each competition?

• Design – create a mood board that also includes a description of how your design fits the brief and how it could help the brand evolve.
• Digital – build a digital-led campaign that uses the powers of digital technology to respond to the challenge in the brief.
• Film – produce an original 60-second film ad in response to the brief. Note: For this Competition only, the deadline is 48 hours.
• Marketers – create a product or service that answers the challenge in the brief. Note: This Competition is open to client marketers only, and teams must represent the company they work for. By ‘client marketers’, we mean marketers not working at an agency representing different clients.
• Media – develop an innovative media strategy based on compelling insights, showing how you’ll use different media channels and encourage engagement in response to the brief.
• PR – construct an effective and engaging PR campaign in response to a communications challenge described in the brief.
• Print – create an eye-catching print ad that answers the challenge in the brief and engages the target audience.

Be inspired by the 2024 winners

I want to know more about the local competitions

To enter the Young Lions Competitions in Cannes, you must first win your local competition. Timelines differ per region, but most local competitions launch in January and take place in February and March. Get in touch with your local representative for more information.

Find your representative